19 Sunday Nov 2006
Posted in food & drink, miscellany
My favourite food is popcorn.
Well okay, there are plenty of other favourites: steamed asparagus, gorgonzola cheese, fresh bread & butter, perfectly ripe conference pears, grilled garlicky mushrooms … but popcorn has always been a favourite.
What are some of yours?
17 Friday Nov 2006
Posted in food & drink, sevilla, spain, tapas
mmmmmm… fritura!
Well, one good thing about not having plans for Friday night is that basically anything can happen. Like Nog coming home after his class and inviting me out to Modesto. 🙂
Had the usual fritura (that photo is for you Teuchter) and then just had to try some of the wild mushrooms they had displayed. There were three kinds and we chose the ones that were grilled and served with bits of jamon serrano and grilled peppers. There was also some wild asparagus on offer but we were too stuffed to have anything more.
Nice thing about Modesto is that they also get seasonal stuff in – a few months ago it was fresh artichokes (heaven!). So it isn’t always just the usual menu, which is quite good in itself. It’s a rather pricey restaurant, especially if you sit out on the terrace, but Nog and I tend to eat standing at the bar next to the open kitchen – and the prices there are considerably cheaper there (for the same food).
Also, we like hanging out with the bar guys and chatting with the chef, Sebastian. So sweet … when the wild mushrooms were weighed and then handed to the kitchen I waved to Sebastian and said ‘those are ours!’ and I heard him say to his helper ‘esto es para familia’. 
Anyhow, it was a lovely evening and afterwards we had a leisurely stroll home through the barrio. And now I am off to bed … shall leave you with a few Modesto photos (5-19).
Buenas noches! 
17 Tuesday Oct 2006
Posted in food & drink, life stuff, rants
I sooooooooooooo need one of these!
And I can’t find one anywhere. Well, I can find either a 3€ or 25€ version, but nothing in between. Nothing just like that basic good ol’ kitchen timer like I used to have.
I bought the 3€ version out of desperation awhile ago – it was in the shape of a lemon. I bought it because the only other options were a tomato or a green pepper. And of course it stopped working after about two weeks.
Meanwhile, it’s all your fault I need this timer! 😉 I can’t recall the amount of meals that have been burnt and totally ruined as a result of me ‘putting something on the stove’ and then sitting down in front of the computer ‘for just a minute’ and then forgetting all about it until I could either see or smell smoke!
I used to have a timer exactly like the one in the pic and it lasted for years and years and years and maybe cost $5. But it was one of the many things that got left behind when I moved to England from Toronto. Like my egg piercer – think I could find one in Spain? A friend visiting from TO finally brought one over for me. And I would have asked for a timer too, but I didn’t have a computer then.
Anyhow, not a very focussed rant here. Can’t tell if it’s really about not being able to find a basic kitchen timer in Sevilla or the fact that I need one because I keep burning meals from losing track of time on the computer. Probably a bit of both.
And so Nog didn’t end up getting pasta with lunch today – had to improvise with some quick-to-make garlic toast thingys. And now there is a lovely stainless steel pot in the sink with burnt pasta welded to it. Ah well, never mind. Apparently worse things happen at sea . . .
29 Friday Sep 2006
Posted in food & drink, life stuff, sevilla
Nog and I love food shopping!
And for a household that just has the two of us in it, we seem to do a lot of it.
Usually every two weeks or so we do a ‘big shop’ at a supermarket that delivers to the house. Very handy as we live on the third floor (fourth floor US & Cdn) without a lift. So we prefer big burly guys lugging up all the heavy stuff for us.
In between the big shopping expeditions we visit the fabulous markets here or small local fruit & veg shops for fresh produce and especially fish, which is much fresher and cheaper than at the supermarket.
But there is something very pleasant and satisfying about shopping for food. And at times like now (just after a ‘big supermarket’ thang) our fridge and cupboards are stuffed full of amazing things to eat. So when it comes time to decide what to have for lunch we often feel a bit overwhelmed by choice options.
So, is it just us or do other people enjoy this too?
28 Thursday Sep 2006
Posted in food & drink, life stuff, rants
Yeah sure . . .
Why is it that so many of these new ‘easy open’ products end up being anything but?
To be fair, the round flip top tins do tend to open quite easily, but rectangular tins usually get stuck at about the 2/3 open point so you end up having to dig out the sardines (or whatever) with a fork while you risk having your thumb sliced open by the sharp edge of the partially opened lid.
But the worst offenders have to be the tear-off tetrabrick packages which usually end up with a small fountain of juice, etc landing all of the kitchen work surface (and often on oneself). And that is only if it can be torn open – usually scissors are required.
Then there are the ‘easy open and re-sealable’ cellophane packets of pasta. Ha! These seem to have been sealed with superglue so that when you gently pull the top open the cellophane rips half-way down the packet and meanwhile the ‘re-seal’ sticky tabs immediately lose all stickyness and so even if you managed to get the thing open without destroying the packet a clothespeg is required to seal it up again.
I know it’s a silly rant, but it’s the blatant ‘false promise’ by these marketing guys that mostly annoys me. Like, who are they trying to kid? 
casa azahar 